Once you've mastered the art of Auto mode on your digital camera, you probably want more from your camera. Perhaps it's the default flash that always pops up at night, or the grainy pictures taken in certain bright light environments. What about that blurry image? But the fear of fiddling about with manual controls has forced that section of the Mode dial to remain untouched. If you're willing to step up to the plate and take a crack at your camera's manual controls, this guide will help you with the basics and eliminate any of the aforementioned imaging maladies.
Where do I set the dial?
Every camera has some sort of mode selection tool, whether it's a dial or a touch screen menu. You'll usually see the same options: Auto, Manual, Program AE, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, Scene. We'll start with the basics. In Auto mode, your camera is selecting its own manual controls based on what it detects in the scene. So if a shooting environment is dark, it will do everything in its power to increase the exposure, even if it means deploying a flash. While Auto mode is great for beginners and basic events, it seldom suits the needs of the advanced photographer. Scene mode is the same as Auto, only you are choosing a mode that is geared toward a particular environment. For example, Sunrise adjusts the color temperature of the image while Fireworks boosts the image sensitivity.
Now in the Program AE mode, the camera is allowing you to select most manual controls, but it still controls the Aperture and Shutter speed. This means you can still adjust most manual controls and let the camera figure out the exposure. In Aperture Priority mode, the camera acts the same as Program AE mode, only it allows you to now adjust the aperture. As a result, the Shutter Speed will automatically match the Aperture. Shutter Priority is the same thing, only you control the Shutter Speed and the camera adjusts the aperture to match it. Manual control allows you to control everything, and that's what we usually shoot in. Have no fear, we're going to break every single control down for you.
Shutter Speed and Aperture: The Peanut Butter and Jelly of Photography
Or you can call it the Starsky and Hutch, the Bert and Ernie, the Yin and Yang, etc. The Aperture refers to the opening of the camera's retracting blades, which are set up in a circular formation. They control how much light enters the lens, and also the camera's depth of field. A very wide Aperture of f/2.0 can soak in a lot of light because the hole is bigger, but it can only shoot subjects at a very shallow field. Therefore, Macro (closeups) like portraits and flower shots do well at lower aperture values. If you want to shoot something with a large depth of field, say a long alleyway or scenic mountain range, then a smaller aperture should be used. An aperture like f/14 will focus everything in the foreground and background so no parts of the image display blur. Of course, a smaller hole means more light is needed. But how do we get more light?
We call upon Shutter Speed. Shutter Speed controls how long the retracting blades remain open before they close and the image is processed. So if you're shooting at night with a small aperture for more depth of field (something like f/14), you're going to want a very slow shutter speed around 15 seconds, depending on the environment. This allows the camera to soak up 15 seconds of light before the image is captured (Use a tripod and Self Timer with anything past 2 seconds). Fast Shutter Speeds are used for fast action like sports, because subjects can be frozen or isolated thanks to the quick snap. If the shutter speed is too slow, the subject in motion will be blurry. The larger the aperture (hole), the faster the shutter speed, and vice versa. It's a constant balance between both. If your camera has a light meter, play with the Shutter Speed and Aperture in Shutter Priority or Aperture Priority mode. As you adjust one, you'll see the other adjust along with it and get a better sense of the Aperture/Shutter Speed relationship.
ISO: The Sensitive Type
Every camera allows you to adjust ISO levels as well. Remember the glorious days of film? You had to select a certain sensitivity of film depending on the type of shooting you wanted to do. ISO125 film was good for bright light outdoors while ISO800 film suited the needs of darker lighting. But, the higher the ISO, the grainier the image. Well, the same applies in the digital world. When you shoot in daylight, you want to have a low ISO for maximum detail and minimum noise, or grain. At night, you'll want to shift the ISO up to offer more sensitivity. The Shutter Speed and aperture are affected by ISO as well.
With a higher ISO, you can shoot at faster shutter speeds and smaller Apertures because the camera is attaining light from the higher ISO. The only tradeoff is that the image will have a higher noise, or grain content, minimizing detail. That's why ISO is such a large part of our reviews, because if you can find a camera that performs well at high ISO levels, like the Nikon D700, then the versatility of your camera skyrockets. Most point-and-shoot cameras will boost the ISO when left in the Auto setting, just to maximize the incoming light. We usually leave the ISO low and use the shutter speed and aperture to give us our detail.
Set the mood with White Balance
Have you ever taken a picture at night only to find that everything looks red? That's because the White Balance is not properly configured. The White Balance controls the color temperature of the image. So, if you're shooting in very harsh, bluish lighting, you're going to want to adjust the color temperature to a warmer tone. In very warm color environments, you'll want to shift to a more blue or white color temperature. Use the Manual White Balance to allow the camera to assess the shooting environment and change the color temperature accordingly. Some advanced cameras like the Pentax K-x have a Kelvin meter that allows you to adjust the color temperature on a slider bar. Always review your image, even after you adjust the White balance because the LCD preview is deceiving.
Start Snapping!
Once you've read this guide and fiddled around with your Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO, and White Balance, head out into the wide world of photographic splendor and start snapping. Get used to each control and learn how they talk to each other. We guarantee you'll never want to shoot in Auto mode again once you've discovered the joys of manual camera adjustment. Also, feel free to send in some shots you've taken after reading this guide and tell us what camera you've taken them with. We just might post them on the site! Now get snapping.
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